By Leonard Gray / L’Observateur / May 15, 1999

What is it with the gun culture in America? What’s wrong with an America where it’s easier and less expensive for a child to get a gun than a bicycle or a pair of basketball shoes? Mind you, there’s perfectly good reasons for people to have certain types of guns. There are many, many responsible sports enthusiasts who enjoyhunting game and behave properly with their firearms. They are careful,teach their children to respect firearms and generally are poster-boys for the National Rifle Association.

Then there’s the people like NRA President Charlton Heston, who is single- handedly making the NRA look like some obsessed gun-nuts.

They can’t ALL be like Heston, can they? I’ve never been a fan of the notion of having a gun in my house. I don’t owna gun and haven’t since I was 13 years old. I haven’t fired any type offirearm in about 15 years. I’ve never, ever, been hunting and have no desireto ever go hunting.

I shot and killed a bird once with a B-B gun. It turned me off to the idea ofhunting, I hope, forever. I see people hunting deer to get one with a hugeantler spread. They’ll tell you they also wanted the deer meat, but youknow the real reason for the kill. I just don’t see the big deal about thatrack. Big deal.Yet, there are many in this nation who are stockpiling guns against the day “when” the economy goes permanently into the toilet and everyone takes to the woods, to kill game to survive and to protect ourselves from “them.”I don’t know who “them” is – from Democrats to Chinese to Iranians, I cannot imagine such a scenario.

People of all ages are gathering in rural locations in camouflage outfits, training their children in proper military fashion against the day they can protect “us” against “them.”Nevertheless, most countries in the world do just fine without so many guns among their citizens. Do these survivalists and militia groupsseriously think they can hold out for long against the government – our government? I can understand rifles, shotguns and revolvers. However, in my humbleopinion, automatic and semi-automatic weapons have no business being loose among John and Jane Citizen and their children.

There’s also too much of a culture of violence being communicated to our children, that to settle disagreements or perceived slights, the socially- correct response is to blow them away. Whether if it’s for stealing yourgirlfriend or your sneakers or your starter jacket, that’s totally wrong and evil.

I’ve been robbed two times at gunpoint. A gun wouldn’t have helped me, ineither case. Another time, a police officer drew on me.If someone breaks into my home, they’ll probably be better shots than I am. If they don’t happen to have a gun, I’ll likely throw a cat on them.And if the economy takes a nose dive, I can always learn to be a vegetarian. Somehow, I’ll manage without a gun.

Leonard Gray is a reporter for L’Observateur

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